Milwaukee's own brandy

If you’re a typical Wisconsinite, you’re awfully fond of brandy. For decades, the state claimed to lead the nation in brandy consumption.

Now you can "drink local," with the release this week of three new brandies from Milwaukee’s Great Lakes Distillery, the first of its Artisan Series fruit brandies.

Unlike traditional California grape brandies, these un-aged spirits -- Kirschwasser, Grappa and Pear Brandy Eau-de-Vie -- have more in common with European traditions, according to founder Guy Rehorst.

A traditional German drink, Kirschwasser is made by distilling fermented cherries. Grappa has its roots in Italy and is made from the skins, stems and seeds left over from the grape winemaking process. Pear Brandy Eau-de-Vie (French for “water of life”) is made from Bartlett pears.

Clear and colorless, all three products are packaged at 80-proof in 375ml bottles. Only a few hundred bottles of each of the small-batch brandies will be available.

"They are very expensive to produce, but a small amount goes a long way," Rehorst says.

They brandies are local in more than one way. The Kirschwasser and Pear Eau-de-Vie were distilled from wine produced at AEppelTreow winery of Burlington, and the Grappa was made from Wisconsin-grown grapes. The labels show fruit painted by artist Claire MacKenzie, who happens to be the mother of Great Lakes distiller Doug MacKenzie.